This invention relates to a watercraft carrier, and more particularly to a wheeled carrier for human propelled portage of a watercraft.
Typically, in cases where a body of water to be accessed is not directly accessible by vehicle, or where several separated bodies of water are to be enjoyed, watercraft enthusiasts, especially canoe enthusiasts, carry (or portage) their watercraft as well as their other gear.
Several wheeled watercraft carriers have been developed to assist watercraft enthusiasts in the portage of their watercraft. It is desirable that a wheeled watercraft carrier be able to negotiate a rough terrain and maintain at the same time a secured watercraft and an undamaged watercraft, be able to accommodate a variety of hull shapes and sizes, be sturdy, be lightweight, be compact, and be simple to use.
Rough terrain affects the ability of a watercraft carrier to maintain a secure and an undamaged watercraft by subjecting the watercraft to high linear and rotational forces as the watercraft carrier encounters rough terrain. Some encountered forces are transferred to the in-contact watercraft surfaces, and are applied both linearly and rotationally to the watercraft. At the same time, the carrier itself is subject to linear and rotational forces that are not imparted to the watercraft, and that accelerate the carrier with reference to the watercraft. The result of these rough terrain forces stresses the watercraft at its in-contact area with the carrier, and acts to loosen the watercraft from, rotate the watercraft within, and translate the watercraft within, the watercraft carrier. The rotation of the watercraft in relation to the carrier may occur as a rolling, a pitching, and a yawing about the carrier. The translation and rotation of the watercraft subjects a watercraft to damage not only from ambient objects, but also from the wheels and frame of the carrier itself.
Prior watercraft carrier inventions have included apparatus that secure a watercraft only vertically or horizontally at specific points, generally frame contact points. These carriers do not distribute the encountered force but concentrate the encountered force at the specific points and their contiguous elements. These carrier inventions accordingly disproportionately stress specific points of the watercraft and risk unnecessary damage at these points specifically and to the watercraft generally, and limit the weight of the watercraft and the weight that can be portaged within the watercraft. Moreover, these carriers provide no lateral securing force to the watercraft, and accordingly allow the watercraft to laterally loosen from their hold, allowing both a pitch and a yaw of the watercraft within the carrier.
Prior watercraft carrier inventions have also included apparatus that secure a watercraft downward against the carrier, without securing each side individually. These carriers provide no deterrence against a watercraft rolling about its lateral axis within the carrier and consequently assuming an unaligned position within the carrier. A primary example of a downward securing apparatus is a strap connected from one carrier side to the other over the top of the watercraft. A single strap over the top of the watercraft not only provides minimal deterrence to a rolling of the watercraft within the carrier, but may also crush the watercraft as the straps are over-tightened to secure the watercraft, particularly in the case of an ultra-light hulled watercraft.
Prior watercraft carrier inventions moreover have unnecessarily wide wheel width to compensate for their tendency to allow a watercraft to shift, especially in rough terrain, and contact the wheel assembly. These carriers insure that the carrier and the watercraft will not make contact by unnecessarily widening the width between the wheel assemblies.
Prior watercraft carrier inventions have additionally included apparatus that have a fixed shape and dimension, and also apparatus substantially consisting of rigid elements that are accordingly not very collapsible or compact. A fixed shape and dimension carrier generally accommodates a single corresponding fixed shape and dimension watercraft only. A non-collapsible and non-compact watercraft is bulky and impractical to store within a watercraft and a vehicle.